Antibodies as Promising Molecules to Block Spike Glycoprotein from SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19 is caused by a new SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Coronaviridae family, responsible for developing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). Its emergence in 2019 presented several challenges to global health. The virus can infect host cells using the ACE2 receptor, and after infection, several clinical manifestations appear, ranging from mild symptoms to death. One approach that has shown promising results is convalescent plasma since convalescent plasma (CP) consists of a concentrate of immunoglobulins in the blood of patients recently infected with the coronavirus for those currently infected. Therefore, this therapy uses antibodies in the plasma to neutralize the virus. This literature review aims to evaluate the efficacy of CP therapy in symptomatic COVID-19 patients by analyzing clinical trials and studies published between 2020 and 2023. Therefore, the search identified studies in which the majority reported the efficacy of using convalescent plasma to treat and alleviate the clinical condition of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Important factors influence the efficacy of CP therapy, such as the timing of administration and the severity of the disease. Early administration in mild and moderate cases has shown promise. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis suggests that antibodies can cause conformational changes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, raising the hypothesis that using CP may interfere with viral entry into host cells.